What does ἀληθῶς (alēthōs) mean in the Bible?
Ἀληθῶς is an adverb meaning truly, really, certainly, or in accordance with reality. Those in the boat confess that Jesus is truly God's Son after He comes across the water.
Greek · G230
ἀληθῶς
Truly
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ἀληθῶς G230
Pronunciation alēthōs
What does ἀληθῶς (alēthōs) mean in the Bible?
Ἀληθῶς is an adverb meaning truly, really, certainly, or in accordance with reality. Those in the boat confess that Jesus is truly God's Son after He comes across the water.
Reader summary
Full entry for ἀληθῶς (G230) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G230?
The BSB source-word alignment has 18 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include Truly (11), Surely (2), . . . (1), [is] a true (1), for sure (1).
Where does ἀληθῶς (alēthōs) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 14:33. Its strongest book concentrations include John (7), Luke (3), Matthew (3), Mark (2).
What This Word Actually Means
Ἀληθῶς is an adverb meaning truly, really, certainly, or in accordance with reality. Those in the boat confess that Jesus is truly God's Son after He comes across the water. Bystanders correctly insist that Peter really belongs with Jesus, though he denies it. Jesus solemnly affirms that some disciples will see God's kingdom, calls Nathanael truly an Israelite without deceit, and Peter recognizes that the Lord has certainly rescued him.
The adverb strengthens a claim but does not itself prove the claim true; speakers can use emphatic language rightly or wrongly. Narrative voice, evidence, character, and context establish whether the certainty is confession, accusation, promise, evaluation, or dawning recognition.
How the Bible Uses It
Ἀληθῶς marks a statement as genuinely or certainly the case. It strengthens confession, identification, promise, character assessment, and recognized deliverance without supplying independent proof.
- Matt.14.33
Then those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God!”
The disciples respond to Jesus' authority over the sea with worship and a strengthened confession of His divine sonship.
- Mark.14.70
But he denied it again. After a little while, those standing nearby said once more to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, for you too are a Galilean.”
The bystanders' emphatic identification of Peter is accurate, making his renewed denial an attempt to escape a truth his speech and presence disclose.
- Luke.9.27
But I tell you truly, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.”
Jesus firmly assures the disciples that some present will see God's kingdom, a saying immediately followed by the transfiguration narrative in Luke.
- John.1.47
When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, He said of him, “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is no deceit.”
Jesus identifies Nathanael as genuinely Israelite and without deceit, then reveals knowledge that moves Nathanael toward confession.
- Acts.12.11
Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know for sure that the Lord has sent His angel and rescued me from Herod’s grasp and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating.”
After initially thinking he saw a vision, Peter recognizes with certainty that the Lord has truly delivered him from Herod's custody and expected harm.
Passage context
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It Truly 11× Matthew 14:33, Matthew 27:54, Mark 15:39, Luke 9:27
Surely 2× Matthew 26:73, Mark 14:70
. . . 1× 1 John 2:5
[is] a true 1× John 1:47
for sure 1× Acts 12:11
it truly is 1× 1 Thessalonians 2:13
with certainty 1× John 17:8
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 14:33 Ἀληθῶς to Truly Adverb Matthew 26:73 Ἀληθῶς to Surely Adverb Matthew 27:54 Ἀληθῶς to Truly Adverb Mark 14:70 Ἀληθῶς to Surely Adverb Mark 15:39 Ἀληθῶς to Truly Adverb Luke 9:27 ἀληθῶς to truly Adverb Luke 12:44 ἀληθῶς to Truly Adverb Luke 21:3 Ἀληθῶς to Truly Adverb John 1:47 ἀληθῶς to [is] a true Adverb John 4:42 ἀληθῶς to truly Adverb
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Matthew 14:33
Aligned rows 18
Books represented 7
Matthew 3 Mark 2 Luke 3 John 7 Acts 1 1 Thessalonians 1 1 John 1
Source forms
ἀληθῶς 12x alēthōs Luke 9:27, Luke 12:44, John 1:47, John 4:42
Ἀληθῶς 6x Alēthōs Matthew 14:33, Matthew 26:73, Matthew 27:54, Mark 14:70
Parsing patterns
Adverb 18x Matthew 14:33, Matthew 26:73, Matthew 27:54, Mark 14:70
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Do not reward confident tone as though it guaranteed accuracy; strong claims still require conformity to Scripture, evidence, and honest witness.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that ἀληθῶς carries a special technical meaning every time it appears.
- Do not build doctrine from the adverb alone without examining the statement it strengthens and the narrative that confirms it.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Affirms truth of preceding statement with certainty; stronger than mere assertion of fact.
Strong's G230
Lexical occurrences 18 verses Greek text appearances 21 times 16 shown below Word forms 1 form 18 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Matthew 14:33 Source Gloss
truly
Extended definition Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
Affirms truth of preceding statement with certainty; stronger than mere assertion of fact.
adv. (ἀληθής). [in LXX (Jer.28:6, Psa.58:1, al.) chiefly for אָמֵן and cogn. forms ;] truly, surely: Mat.14:33 26:73 Mrk.14:70 15:39, Luk.9:27 12:44 21:3, Jhn.1:48 4:42 6:14 7:26, 40 8:31 17:8 Act.12:11, 1Th.2:13, 1Jn.2:5.
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 21 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 14:33 Adverb
Ἀληθῶς alhqwv
truly, really, certainly
Read verse Matthew 26:73 Adverb
Ἀληθῶς alhqwv
truly, really, certainly
Read verse Matthew 27:54 Adverb
Ἀληθῶς alhqwv
truly, really, certainly
Read verse Mark 14:70 Adverb
Ἀληθῶς alhqwv
truly, really, certainly
Read verse Mark 15:39 Adverb
Ἀληθῶς alhqwv
truly, really, certainly
Read verse Luke 9:27 Adverb
ἀληθῶς, alhqwv
truly, really, certainly
Read verse Luke 12:44 Adverb
ἀληθῶς alhqwv
truly, really, certainly
Read verse Luke 21:3 Adverb
Ἀληθῶς alhqwv
truly, really, certainly
Read verse John 1:47 Adverb
ἀληθῶς alhqwv
truly, really, certainly
Read verse John 4:42 Adverb
ἀληθῶς alhqwv
truly, really, certainly
Read verse John 6:14 Adverb
ἀληθῶς alhqwv
truly, really, certainly
Read verse John 6:55 Adverb
ἀληθῶς alhqwv
truly, really, certainly
Read verse John 6:55 Adverb
ἀληθῶς alhqwv
truly, really, certainly
Read verse John 7:26 Adverb
ἀληθῶς alhqwv
truly, really, certainly
Read verse John 7:26 Adverb
ἀληθῶς alhqwv
truly, really, certainly
Read verse John 7:40 Adverb
ἀληθῶς alhqwv
truly, really, certainly
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 1 case and number pattern. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Form patterns 1 Aligned forms 18
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Matt 14:33 · Matt 26:73 · Matt 27:54 · Mark 14:70 · Mark 15:39 · Luke 9:27 · Luke 12:44 · Luke 21:3 · John 1:47 · John 4:42 · John 6:14 · John 7:26 · John 7:40 · John 8:31 · John 17:8 · Acts 12:11 18×
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
affirms truth of a declaration, confessional affirmation of Jesus's divinity
confirms reliability of testimony, validation through personal experience and witness
emphasizes certainty in Jesus's teaching, introduces solemn pronouncement of truth
declares recognition of truth through observation, centurion's acknowledgment of reality
Showing 4 selected witnesses from 18 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
ἀληθῶς is built from this root:
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
The word 'truly' brings a claim into sharper focus, but truth still rests on reality. The disciples' confession follows Jesus' mastery of the sea and results in worship. Peter's accusers speak truly about his association with Jesus even while he denies it, showing that an unwelcome statement can be accurate. Jesus' kingdom promise carries His own authority, and His assessment of Nathanael displays penetrating knowledge without flattery.
In Acts, Peter's certainty arises as he interprets an experienced deliverance he had first struggled to understand. Christian confidence is neither volume nor wishful insistence. It answers God's acts, receives Jesus' trustworthy word, confesses what is real, and remains humble enough to let truth expose fearful denial.
Anchor passage
Matt.14.33
Doctrinal connections
- Matthew 14:22-33, worship and true confession of the Son
- Mark 14:66-72, true identification amid fearful denial
- Luke 9:23-36, promise and vision of kingdom glory
- John 1:43-51, Jesus' true knowledge and Nathanael's confession
- Acts 12:6-17, recognized divine deliverance
- John 8:31-36, truth known in abiding discipleship
Ἀληθῶς is the adverb related to true or genuine. It may modify a verb, adjective, or whole assertion and can be translated truly, really, certainly, or indeed according to context.
From Old to New Testament
God is true, His word proves reliable, and faithful witnesses speak without deceit. Jesus embodies and reveals truth, calling disciples from denial into confession.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain